Sweet sweet Friday: Plum Crumble Cake

For months now the weather forecasters have been promising us an Indian summer. Now, with the trees outside nearly blown horizontal by winds of up to 130km and rain seeping in the dining room window, I read that they are admitting we might be waiting until 2013. Lovely.

In the meantime, summer must be happening somewhere in New Zealand because the market last week was full of stonefruit – big, juicy Golden Queen peaches and Omega plums. Some of the plums suffered a bit from being squashed on the way home (not to mention being rolled along the kitchen floor by a pair of small hands), so they ended up in this cake.

Plum Crumble Cake
I started experimenting with this cake a few weeks ago, using rhubarb, when Melissa came over for morning tea. I think this version is better – and as luck would have it she’s coming over this morning so I’ll see what she thinks. Don’t be put off by the length of the instructions – with a processor you can get this in the oven in 20 minutes or less (especially if you have a date with Grand Designs on TV. Oh Kevin, how I love thee…)

Preheat the oven to 170C and grease and flour a 22-24cm tin.
Put the crumble ingredients in the processor and whiz briefly. Tip out into a waiting bowl.
Slice the fruit and set aside.
Put the butter and sugar into the processor and whiz until well creamed. Stop the machine and tip in the essence, half the ground almonds and the eggs. Process again for 10 seconds. Scrape down the sides and pulse again. Tip in the rest of the almonds, the flour and baking powder. Pulse until mixed.
Scrape out into the prepared tin. Top with the fruit, then the crumble mixture. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean-ish. Leave in the tin for five minutes, then turn out carefully. Good warm after watching Kevin McCloud or cold in the morning for breakfast.

Have a sweet, sweet Friday everyone. I had a moment of madness and signed up to do another half-marathon on Sunday… so think of me, when you’re lying in bed reading the paper, won’t you?

Plums and crumble and cake…three of my all time favourite things…and love the addition of ground almonds…they are supposed to help you lose weight…hope the winds dye down and don't blow you away on Sunday…good luck with the half-marathon…Deb

Plums – lovely things. Crumble – even lovelier. Delicious. Funnily enough I have a colour chart of Kevin's paints beside me on my desk right now. Some of them are vaguely plummy; most are very pleasing; all are very expensive. You couldn't have a word with Kevin about getting me a discount could you?

Oh, well what can I say? you are a star! I just happened to find your blog as you had commented on Choclogblog…my daughter and I had a slice of plum crumble cake in a cafe yesterday and were wondering about whether it was an upside down cake, if you put the crumble on at the same time as the fruit and sponge…etc and you have provided me with all the answers! Thank you.